In general, a rosary is a string of beads formed into a loop. The beads are arranged in groups of ten (decade) and the groups are separated by a lone bead. The group of five decades is usually preceded by a short string of four beads, usually atop a crucifix. The beads within the decade are usually of the same size and configuration and all the beads in the decade are a uniform distance apart with the lone bead spaced a greater distance from the end bead in the decade than the end bead in the decade is spaced from the next bead in the decade. Sometimes, the separating bead is larger, or shaped slightly different. A Roman Catholic's rosary has five or fifteen decades. Each bead is emblematic of a prayer and the prayers are emblematic of a religious event. Therefore, when someone “prays the rosary,” he touches each bead in turn and says the right prayer for the particular bead he touches.
One problem with the rosary is that the string of beads can become tangled when placed in a pocket or purse. The string of beads may become knotted or may become entangled with other objects. Some people keep their rosary in a pouch or other container which is used exclusively for that purpose. But many people place a rosary in a pocket, purse or drawer with other objects where the rosary becomes entangled with one or more of those objects. Then the person must untangle the rosary before it can be used.
McGlew in U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,009 discloses a hand held memory device that can be used in place of a rosary while “praying the rosary.” This device has a slide strip having ten indicators as hemispherical projections. The slide strip fits in a slot in a base unit which can be held in one hand. The user places his or her thumb on a projection, says a prayer and then moves the thumb to the next projection for the next prayer. This movement to the next projection is accomplished by sliding the strip along the base unit. The unit changes in size, and is difficult to put back into a pocket. It also only tracks one decade and does not show the user where he or she must restart.
McGovern discloses a hand held, hand operated mechanical, rosary prayer sequence symbol prompter in U.S. Pat. No. 6,589,056. This device contains a ring having 60 teeth and contained in a circular housing. Within the housing are six multi-sided and one circular symbol. A push button and ratchet is provided to rotate the ring. As the ring rotates multi-sided symbols will in sequence project from or be within the housing. The user pushes the button after each prayer to turn the ring. The positions of the symbols will tell the user which prayer must be said at any point in time while praying the rosary.
While the counters disclosed by McGovern and McGlew are helpful in keeping track of prayers, use of these devices is quite different from advancing the beads of a rosary while praying. Consequently, there is a need for a rosary which relies upon the traditional movement of at least one bead to keep track of prayers.
The art has also provided a number of marker devices that can be used in combination with a string of rosary beads. Many of these devices have a channel or sleeve through which the beads pass. Examples of this type of product are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,937,459 and 2,992,495, published application US 2003/00086521 A1 and Japanese application JP 408126507 A. Another type of marker has a clip that is placed between adjacent beads. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,990,625 and 6,179,621 disclose rosary beads having this type of marker.
There is a need for a rosary in which a bead is moved along a path after each prayer as in a conventional rosary. Rather, then the path being defined by a string, the path should be such that the rosary does not become tangled itself or with other objects.